Sometimes, I come across an amazing salad, the perfect combination of flavours and ingredients. This is one of those salads.
The pears are the highlight of this salad, and paired with the salty Halloumi cheese, it is beautiful. The combination of textures is also perfect: crunchy lettuce, walnuts, soft pear, and gooey Halloumi cheese, all adding different nuances. This is a salad to be enjoyed slowly one bite at a time.
Artichoke to Za'atar is one of the earlier cookbooks from a husband and wife team of culinary explorers. They have been pivotal in moulding Australian and world cuisine. I absolutely adore all of the cookbooks I have been able to get my hands on (some are impossible to find); they are not just a collection of recipes but a history of the cuisine and the people. This is a set of cookbooks I highly recommend for everyone, chefs and home cooks alike.
For more recipes from this amazing cookbook, click here.
New Middle Eastern is Greg and Lucy Malouf's essential cookbook. They have travelled the Middle East extensively, publishing several specialized cookbooks. This cookbook is one of my favourites, a thick volume filled with amazing recipes and photographs. This cookbook will make you want to get out to the closest Mediterranean store (or on Amazon) and order a pantry full of new ingredients for this cuisine. I have cooked a few, definitely not enough, recipes from this book; each is spectacular. I need to complete the collection of their cookbooks; oh, I wish I had a larger cookbook budget. This book is for those who are looking for spectacular Middle Eastern cuisine.
Ingredients:
3 ripe pears. Bosc preferred
2 1/2 tablespoons light-coloured honey
1/2 teaspoon ground green cardamoms
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
3 tablespoons sherry
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
10 oz. Halloumi cheese cut into large cubes
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 purple onion, thinly sliced
3 cups water
1 cup lettuce, kept whole or roughly torn
2/3 cup olives
Salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
Juice of 2 limes/lemons
Peel the pears and cut them into halves or quarters. Remove the pith and stems.
Heat the butter in a frying pan until bubbling. Sear the pears on medium heat util they are lightly golden. Add the honey, cardamom, orange blossom water and honey and cook until the pears are coated in a thick syrup. Set aside. Make these pears as close to serving time as possible. They will turn an unappetizing grey colour.
Add the onions to the water and soak for 30 minutes. Remove and drain well.
To assemble the salad, layer the lettuce leaves and top with the thyme, onions, and olives
Add the pears to the centre.
Heat a frying pan. Add the halloumi slices and sear until each side is rich and golden. Add to the salad and finish with the walnuts and a drizzle of lemon/lime juice. Serve hot.
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